Electric-furnace product and method of making same.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE N. JEPPSON, OE WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, AND LEWIS E. SAUNDERS, or NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOBS To NORTON COMPANY, OF WORCESTER,

MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 26, 1909. Serial NO. 485,902.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, (1) GEORGE N. JEPP- SON and (2) LEWIS E. SAUNDERS, citizens of the United States, residing at- (-1) Worcester= and (2) Niagara Falls, in the counties of (1) Worcester and (2) Ni era and States of (1) Massachusetts and 2) New York, have mvented certain new and useful. Improvements in Electric-Furnace Products and Methods of Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the reparation of bonded articles from an artificially prepared electric furnace product consisting essentially of alumina substantially free from fluxing impurities and having a Crystalline structure.

In the preparation in the electric furnace ofabrasive and refractory materials consisting mainly of alumina, it has been customary to calcine commercial impure bauxite in order to expel as much of its water as is practicable, and thereafter to fuse the material in an electric furnace between carbon electrodes, usually with the addition to the charge of a small proportion of carbon, the effect of which is to reduce certain of the impuritiescommonly present in commercial grades of bauxite. The resulting product is massive in character, varies greatly in color in accordance with the amount and character of the impurities, and contains varying pro ortions of silicon,

iron, titanium and ca cium as oxids,.the

combined Oxids of these metals usually comprising ten to twenty -five per cent. by weight of the product.

We have discovered that the above-men- -t1oned impurities, even when present in relatively very small proportions, pro foundly modify the physical characteristics of the product and its properties as related to certain industrial uses: and that by eliminating Said impurities to a sufiicient extent, as hereinafter set forth, we are enabled to prepare an aluminous material which when subsequently crushed, graded and bonded, possesses novel and valuable characteristics, as hereinafter fully set forth. The bonded article produced in accordance with our invention possesses certain distinguishing characteristics or properties whic render it particularly suited for abrasive purposes, and notably for such special uses as the internal grinding of articles of steel, iron or the like. The impurities which are normal constituents of aluminous materials as heretofore prepared'in the electric furnace are oxidized compounds, and appear to possess the property of forming with the alumina more orless definite chemical compounds,

which not only have a lower melting point than substantially pure alumina, but which exert a remarkable and profound influence on its other physical properties, rendering it relatively tough or resistant to crushing, imparting to it a massive character, and affecting what may be here referred to as its temper. By ,]the term temper is meant the conditionsunder which fracture occurs and the character of the fracture under conditions of use?" Referring Specifically to the use of aluminous materials in'the form of grinding wheels, it should be understood that the operation known as grinding is in fact a cutting process, in which the cutting tools are hard, sharp'particles of abrasive projecting from the working face of the wheel. These cutting points eventually become dull from use, and in order thatl the grinding wheel should do most eificient'work, they should then break out from the bond by which they are held, and thus expose new cuttingpoints. If the grade of the wheel, 11. e., the strength of the bond by which the cutting particles are hold, is too hard, the wheel becomes dull, glazes, and burns the work, requiring frequent renewal of its outting face by dressin If, on the other hand,

the wheel is too soi t in grade, the particles break away before their cutting efficiency is lost,and thewheel is worn with unnecessary rapidity. It follows from this that the charactor of the bond must be carefully adapted to that of the abrasive.

As distinguished from abrasives prepared until their cutting points or edges become .dulled, andthen break with a sharp, crisp fracture, giving fresh, keen cutting edges. For this reason the effective life of the individual grains is much longer, and they may beassembled with a much harderbond than is the case with grains prepared from impure or partially purified commercial forms of pared from commercial forms of alumina are not well adapted.

In preparing grains suited for bonding and possessing the peculiar qualities of temper above described, we prefer to proceed as follows: Alumina substantially free from oxids of iron, silicon, or titanium, is melted 20 in an electric furnace between graphite elec trodes, the charge being fed more rapidly than is the practice with impure alumina. It results from this relatively rapid feeling and from the use of graphite electrodes as distinguished from ordinary carbon that the product undergoes but little reduction, possesses an essentially crystalline structure, and is not contaminated with largeamounts of .aluminum carbid, the effect of the presence of which is to cause the mass to disintegrate on long exposure. The more rapid the feed-, ing, the more pronounced are those characteristics of temper which impart to the material its distinctive qualities as anabrasive. The resulting pig or mass, usually nearly or quite white in color, and usually possessing a very marked crystalline structure, is broken up, crushed, and preferably subjected to an oxidizing roast to remove traces of carbid and to improve its bonding qualities. The particles are then graded and molded into the desired articles 'or implements by means of an appropriate bond, preferably a ceramic bond.

Various bonds may be used, a bond suitable for the of one part of ball clay with one part of feldspar, four ounces of this mixture being used for each pound of abrasive grains. Wheels so bonded possess the above described characteristic that under conditions of use the abrasive grains fracture in thebond, thus always presenting fresh and keen cutting points and edges to the work. In this respect the wheel difi'ers radically from those heretofore prepared from impure or partially purified bauxite or other commercial forms of alumina, the grains of which become dulled and glazed, and then break out from the bond Without fracturing to any important extent, the b nd being carefully prepared to admit of this effect without which the efliciency of the wheel would be greatly diminished, the work would be purpose comprising a mixture burned, and the wheel would require frequent renewal of its cutting face by dressing. It is impracticable to specify any fixed percentage ofimpurities which renders the product unsuited for the purposes above mentioned, as for the specific purpose of internal grinding, as this depends upon the quality or chemical nature of the impurities. In general it may be stated, however, that the total impurities in the product should not exceed five per cent, that the percentage of oxids of silica and titanium should not' A1 0 9915 TiO i s None SiO 0.20 Fe O 0.16 CaO None For comparison with the above the fol-' lowing is an analysis of an exceptionally high grade of electric furnace alumina as heretofore prepared'from the best quality of commercial bauxite which has undergone partial purification during the electric furnacefusion, the same exhibiting a' degree of toughness and a massive character which, while imparting to it a high value asan abrasive or refractory for general purposes, renders it unsuited for the specific purpose of internal grinding: I 4

A1 0 92. 32 TiO 3. 04 SiO) 1. l2 Fe O 1.77 CaO l.

We claim 1. The herein-described method, which consists in melting alumina substantially, free from fluxing impurities,

permitting the product to solidify into a crystalline mass, crushing and grading the same, and bonding the grains by a bond having sufficient strength to hold the grains until they fracture under conditions of use.

2. The hereindescribed electric furnace method, which consists in melting alumina containing less than five per cent. of total impurities, permitting the product to solidify into a crystalline mass, crushmg and grading the same, and bonding the grains by a bond having sufiicient strength to hold the electric furnace grains until they fracture under conditions of use.

3. The herein-described electric furnace method, which consists in melting alumina containlng not more than one per cent. each of the oxids of silicon, titanium and iron, permitting the product to solidify into a crystalline mass, crushing and grading the. same, and bonding the grains by a bond having sufficient strength to hold the grains until they fracture under conditions of use.

4. The herein-described method, which consists in melting alumina substantially free from fiuxing impurities in'an electric furnace between graphite electrodes, permitting the product to solidify into a crystalline mass, crushing and grading the same, and bonding the grains by a bond havin snflicient strength to hold the grains unti they fracture under conditions of use.

5. The herein-described electric furnace method, which consists in melting alumina.

substantially free from fluxing impurities by feeding the same rapidly between graphite electrodes, thereby avoiding substantial reduction of the mass, permitting the product to solidify into a crystalline mass, crushing and grading the same, and bonding the grains by a bond having sufficient strength to hold the grains until they fracture under conditions of use.

6. The herein-described electric furnace method, which conslsts 1n meltmg alumina substantially free from fluxing impurities,

permitting the product to solidify into a crystalline mass, crushing the same, subjecting the particles to an oxidizing roast, and" bonding the grains by a bond having suflicient strength to hold the grains until they fracture under conditions of'use.

7. The herein-described new article of manufacture, consisting of alumina substantially free from fluxing impurities in the form of hard and relatively brittle grains possessin a crystalline structure, said rains assemble by a bond having sufficient strength to hold the grains until they fracture under conditions of use,

In testimony whereof, we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

' GEORGE N. JEPPSON. LEWIS E. SAUNDERS. Witnesses as to George N. J eppson:

S. F. HALL, ALDUs C. HIGGINS.

Witnesses as to Lewis E. Saunders:

C. P. TOWNSEND, ALDUS C. HIGGINS. 

